Suction cleaner



Jan. 14, 1936. c H TAYLOR 2,027,938

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Aug. 50, 1955 INVENTOR ['lzarles H Taylor ATTORN EY Patented Jan. 14, 1936 SUCTION CLEANER Charles H. Taylor, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application August so, 1933, Serial No. 687,412

8 Claims.

.a provision of a suction cleaner of the floorcleaning type which is provided within its nozzle with an air passageway connected to atmosphere, commonly known as an air tunnel,

there being provided within this air tunnel a surface-contacting member which functions to prevent the undue displacement of the covering within the confines of the nozzle and which may also function as the support for the front end of the cleaner.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel suction cleaner arrangement. It is a further object to provide, in a suction cleaner, a nozzle construction which is unprovided with positively driven agitating means yet which is of unusual efliciency because of its design. Still another object is the provision of an air tunnel within a suction cleaner nozzle in combinationwith a support for the nozzle which is positioned within the air tunnel. A still further object is the provision, in a suction .cleaner, of an air tunnel in the suction cleaner nozzle, means being provided in the air tunnel to limit the upward displacement of the surface covering. Another object is the provision in a suction cleaner provided with an air tunnel in its nozzle, of a rotary support within the air tunnel. These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims, and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

In the drawing in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a modern suction cleaner, with certain parts broken away and shown in section, and with the present invention embodied therein;

Figure 2 is a front view of the cleaner shown in Figure 1 with the front wall of the nozzle broken away showing the novel arrangement by which a cleaner is supported at its nozzle end;

Figure 3 is a partial end view of the nozzlespacing member illustrating how the surfacecontacting part thereof may be made of rubber or similar material;

Figure 4 is a section upon the line 4-4 of Figure 2 showing the means at the ends of the nozzle by which the nozzle-spacing roller is removably retained within the air tunnel in the nozzle;

Figure 5 is a partial side view of a second embodiment of the invention in which additional nozzle-supporting means in the form of the usual supporting wheels are provided, the roller means within the air tunnel functioning'solely to limit the displacement of the surface covering under 5 the action of the reduced pressure in the cleaner nozzle.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 in particular, the reference character I indicates generally a suction cleaner of a familiar and well-known general design. Cleaner I more specifically comprises a nozzle casing 2 which in outward appearance is very like the usual modern cleaner nozzle. Reference character 3 indicates a fan casing in which is positioned the rotatable fan 4. A motor casing 5' is positioned adjacent the fan chamber 3 and houses an unshown drivingmotor for the fan 4. A pivoted handle 6 is connected to the casing 5 and supports the unshown upper end of the dust bag I, which is itself connected to the exhaust outlet of the fan chamber 3, in a manner which forms no part of the present invention and which is quite-common in the art. As in the usual cleaner construction a supporting wheel 8, of which there may be more than one, supports the rear or motor end of the cleaner.

Returning to the front or nozzle end of the cleaner an aperture 9 is found in the top wall thereof, preferably on both sides of the nozzle. This opening is closed by a suitable wire mesh 1 0, the openings in which are of such size that air may readily pass therethrough yet objects of any appreciable size will be stopped. Within the nozzle and extended there-across is a casing or conduit member i3 which opens downwardly toward the surface covering, being provided with surfacecontacting lips I I, I I which are spaced from and extend parallel to the surface-contacting lips l2, l2 of the nozzle 2. Both pairs of lips Ii, Ii and I2, I 2 are relatively thin, being of the type known as pile penetrating, and therefore adapted to penetrate" into the pile of the surface covering undergoing cleaning. This casing or housing member which extends across the nozzle is commonly 45 known as an air tunnel and is entirely closed from the nozzle except for the mouth defined by the lips I I, I I. The air tunnel may be supported by any suitable means within the nozzle 2. At

its ends within the nozzle 2 the air tunnel l3 ex- 50 tends to the openings 9 and is connected therethru to the exterior atmosphere.

Within the tunnel I3 and extending for substantially the length thereof is a series of surface-contacting rollers l4, I4, etc., each of which 55 is rotatably mounted on the supporting shaft 15. Each roller I4 is independently rotatable about the shaft l5 upon bearings I6, l6 and while the rollers are slightly spaced at their ends seals I1, I! are provided, comprising a circular channel in which is seated a suitable felt ring, so that foreign matter may not collect upon the bearings. At

each of its ends the supporting shaft I5 is pro vided with an end assembly comprising a cup member I8 which is enclosed within a resilient ring l9. Each cup member [8 is formed with an axially extending circular flange 20 which is adapted to extend within a circular channel 2| in the end roller I4, and to cooperate therewith to prevent the collection of foreign matter upon the end bearing I 6. At each end of the nozzle a seat member 22 is provided which opens downwardly and is adapted to receive the end assembly of the shaft [5. The entire roller construction can be inserted or removed from the nozzle casing manually. I

As seen in Figure 3 the rollers l4 may be made of rubber or a similar material as may the ring I9. Making the rollers ll of rubber insures greater frictional contact between the rollers and the surface covering undergoing cleaning, while the provision of the member I! of rubber reduces to a minimum the transference of vibration from the cleaner to the surface covering.

Referring now to Figure 5 in particular, a second preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in which front supporting wheels 23, of which only one is shown, are provided and function to support the nozzle above the surface undergoing cleaning in any desired position relative thereto. As distinguished from the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 in which the rollers [4 extended an appreciable distance below the plane of the nozzle lips, the rollers I4 in this embodiment extend only to that plane. In this embodiment the function of the rollers is solely to limit the upward displacement of the covering undergoing cleaning into the nozzle, while in the first embodiment they performed the additional function of supporting the front end of the cleaner.

In each of the embodiments the provision of a plurality of individually rotatable rollers H, H makes possible the movement of one end of the nozzle at a greater rate than the other, as is the case when the machine is turned, without the necessity of slipping between the rollers and the surface covering which they contact. Such would be the case if only one elongated roller were provided.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means, a nozzle having surface-contacting lips, an air tunnel having a downwardly directed mouth in said nozzle interiorly connected to atmosphere and having surface-contacting lips, and means to limit the displacement of said covering into said nozzle comprising a series of undriven surface-contacting rollers individually rotatable in the movement of the cleaner over the surface covering.

2. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means,

a nozzle having surface-contacting lips, an air tunnel having a downwardly directed mouth in said nozzle interiorly connected to atmosphere, and nozzle-supporting means comprising a series 5 of independently rotatable undriven surface-contacting rollers extended below the plane of said nozzle lips and positioned between the lips of said air tunnel.

3. The construction set forth in claim 2 char- 10 acterized by the fact that the surface-contacting portions of said rollers are made of rubber.

4. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means,

a nozzle having pile-penetrating lips, an air tunnel having a downwardly directed mouth in said 15 nozzle interiorly connected to atmosphere and having surface-contacting lips, means movably supporting said nozzle relative to the surfacecovering undergoing cleaning, and means to limit the displacement of said covering into said nozzle 20 including an undriven roller positioned in said air tunnel and adapted to contact the lifted surface covering between said lips.

5. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means, a nozzle having surface-contacting lips, an air 25 tunnel having a downwardly directed mouth in said nozzle interiorly connected to atmosphere and having surface-contacting lips, means movably supporting said nozzle relative to the surface covering undergoing cleaning, and means to limit 30 the displacement of said covering into said nozzle comprising a series of independently rotatable rollers positioned in said air tunnel and adapted to contact the lifted surface covering between said lips. 35

6. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means,

a nozzle having surface-contacting lips, an air tunnel having a downwardly directed mouth in said nozzle interiorly. connected to atmosphere and having surface-contacting lips, means 111 v- 40 ably supporting said nozzle relative to the surf e covering undergoing cleaning, and means to limit the displacement of said covering into said nozzle comprising a series of independently rotatable rollers mounted on a common removable shaftxin said airltin nel and positioned so as to contact the lifted surface covering between the lips of said air tunnel.

7. The construction set forth in claim 6 characterized by the fact that seals are positioned 50 between the adjacent rollers to prevent the accumulation of foreign matter about the supporting axis.

8. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means, a nozzle, pile penetrating lips defining the sides of said nozzle, an air tunnel having a downwardly directed mouth and interiorly connected to atmosphere, pile penetrating lips defining the sides of said air tunnel, and means to limit the penetration of said lips into a surface covering undergoing cleaning comprising an undriven surfacecontacting roller positioned in said tunnel.

CHARLES H. TAYLOR. 

